If we’re driving to Sullivan’s for lunch or dinner, Jeffrey and I always vote for Taco Mamacita. But, wanting to try something new, we recently opted for Poe’s Tavern, just across the street. I’d never been, but I’d always heard such great things.

Named in honor of one of Sullivan’s Island’s famous residents, Edgar Allen Poe, Poe’s is a beachy restaurant just steps from the sand – a great place to meet up with friends after work or to fuel up after a long beach day.

Entrance to Poe’s. Check out that great outdoor seating!

We arrived at prime dinner time and, because it’s summer, the place was pretty busy. We were just in time to catch two people getting up from an outdoor bartop, so we jumped into their seats. With one glance at the menu, we had it narrowed down to a quesadilla, burger or taco. Those are really the only options.

After much deliberation, Jeffrey ordered [highlight color=”grey/color”]THE SLEEPER ($11.75)[/highlight] – a burger with blue cheese and buffalo shrimp on top of a juicy burger. It was … awesome. The best part was the huge helping of creamy and very potent blue cheese. And the spicy shrimp with cheese makes an odd but very delicious combo on a burger. The buns were huge, so make sure you’ve very hungry before ordering this. Good news: they can do the burgers as rare as you want them.

I went with the [highlight color=”grey/color”]FISH TACOS ($12)[/highlight] – mixing a mahi taco with a tuna taco. It doesn’t come with a side, so I ordered CHIPS AND PICO ($4) as an appetizer. I’d skip the chips and salsa next time, because the chips arrived as stale as could be and the salsa was mediocre at best. But back to the tacos… they were bland — even though the blackened tuna was great alone, the spice got lost in the rest of the taco, making it ultimately pretty bland. They were delivered on the cold side.

Mahi taco on the left, tuna taco on the right.

Jeffrey and I ended up splitting our two meals, and I’d order the burger again and again — probably not the tacos.

BOTTOM LINE: This great Sullivan’s Island local institution is definitely worth a visit, if only for the atmosphere and location. The burgers are delicious, too, but I’d skip the chips and salsa & fish tacos.